One type of equipment that is presently missing from the camping industry is a suitable general purpose shelter. The ideal shelter would be one which is light in weight, which is easily foldable into a compact condition, and one which may be used for a number of purposes, including a tent for human beings. Many attempts have been made in the past to satisfy this need, but in every case the resulting product has lacked one of the desirable qualities. Those shelters that do have most of the desirable qualities are complex in construction and very expensive.
Also, one activity that has developed considerable interest recently has been that of "back packing." This is a form of hiking and camping in which all of the sportman's equipment is carried in one pack on his back. While it is possible to carry a sleeping bag as part of this equipment, the addition of any kind of a tent or shelter (when added to the ordinary and necessary camping equipment) results in a load that is too great for long hikes. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a compactible shelter which is light in weight, simple in construction, and which is inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of this invention is to provision of a compactible shelter forming part of a pack in which rigid portions of the shelter serve as the frame of the pack.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a compactible shelter which has a simple general-purpose construction permitting it to be used for many applications where human beings and articles are to be protected from the weather.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a shelter having a rigid frame constructed so as to be free of deterioration due to chemical and mechanical attack.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a shelter for camping which has a manner of entry and exit which can be sealed when the shelter is occupied.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a compactible shelter which is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which is capable of a long life of useful service with a minimum of maintenance.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.